They made it home!

After many delays and a call to Delta, I finally found out the grands got on an earlier flight in Atlanta. A very excited mama called to tell me they were there! Thank you Maria for being a wonderful daughter to me and for allowing your precious cargo to fly across the country to spend time with their Florida family.

These pictures are of Adam with Uncle David and Ashley with Uncle David...tomorrow 8/9, David will be 30 years old! 30...oh, where do the years go??? I have many prayers for him for this upcoming year, but maybe I'll share those tomorrow! I will say he was very disappointed when I told him I would be out of town tomorrow. I usually make chicken enchiladas for him as they are his favorite! You're 30 now son, maybe I'll cook them another nite.

Into the wild blue yonder!

There is a different sound here tonight. Quiet. The pool floats are empty, no joyful splashing, towels and sheets are waiting to be washed. No gleeful laughing as the dogs lick their faces. Only the small sound of a tear dropping from my eye. I'll miss them.

It was the return trip that almost didn't happen. Ashley and Adam painfully packed their suitcases, cramming in the last few extras they had to take back to California. Their great grandmother went with us to an early lunch then on to the airport. We started the check in process when the airline worker told us one of their bags was overweight......I said what do we do? He said take stuff out of one and put in the other to which I replied.....cannot do! He quoted a price of $25.00 to go overweight and without blinking an eye, I said "this may not sound frugal, but if you open those suitcases, we may never get stuff back in, so I got out the money". We got almost all the way checked in, when it was announced that their flight coming into our town from Atlanta had been delayed due to mechanical problems. They usually don't book children on a later flight in case they don't get to their destination. However, since they are such seasoned flyers, they got them on a plane a little later, but of course that meant they missed their connection and had to be booked on a later flight for the final leg of the trip home. As we were finishing up at the check in desk, the sweet man behind the counter saw a poor pitiful nana sending her babies home and said "You know, we'll just waive that $25.00". Thank you sir!! We all started to the security gate, took our shoes off and all our stuff like backpacks and purses and all managed to get through without problem. Then the thunderstorm started and this nana felt the hair on her neck rising. I didn't want my babies (15 and 11) on a plane in a storm! With our long wait, the storm spent itself, the kids names were called to board first and we tearfully hugged goodbye until we meet again.

After they were safely in the air, I took a deep breath and looked at great gma and said I'm tired! Their leaving always leaves me a bit down, but so grateful and thankful to the Lord that we have such a good relationship with them and that they love coming to see their Florida family!

So goodbye for now sweet ones, we'll see you again soon!

World's Most Beautiful Beaches

Yes, we live on the world's most beautiful beaches! Well, o.k. not exactly ON THEM, but real near. These sweet children are Ashley, Adam (grands) and their cousin Joshua. Uncle Mike and Aunt Pam are camping at the state park, so we went to visit and take a trip over to the jetties. This "kiddie pond" is where I went as a child. I was amazed at how it has changed. The rocks on the jettie side were much higher protecting the kiddie pool from the strong currents in the pass which leads from the bay into the gulf. We were very careful not to let them go far enough to get into those currents.







Joshua and Adam had lots of fun together. They have many common interests, both like skateboarding and remote control anything and of course video games. We limited the game time choosing to do outside stuff that they wouldn't normally do at home.



I will miss them so when they are gone home....even as I know their parents miss them while they are here in Florida!

Time is moving too fast!

I can hardly believe that our time with the grandchildren is almost over! We are having such a good time. We always take the children to church while they are with us....the first picture is actually after church but before we changed clothes...

The second picture is of an event we have made a tradition at nana's house. Grandpa Russell bakes oatmeal, peanut butter cookies with the grandchildren. Grandpa Russell is the greatest cook, and these cookies are a specialty and a favorite with everyone. Alas I must say I have eaten wayyyyy too many! We try not to bake them except for very special ocassions and right before beginning a new diet!

On Tuesday, my little chicks will take to the skies and travel back home! Tomorrow we will be cramming in all our last minute times together. It has been such a pleasure to have them here and we will look forward to our next visit!

I have Issues!

This is just for my sister, she is like my twin only there is a difference in our ages.....I can't say what it is or she will kill me. While she was here visiting with the kids, we talked about our childhood and how I got so many issues.

Then my younger brother's wife said she wrapped his birthday presents in aluminum foil because mama always wrapped his SURPRISES she got him at the store in aluminum foil! Now we both have issues, because we never got any aluminum foil surprises! Rats~!

Too Busy Making those Memories

Not that I really think anyone reads my blog but we have been so busy making memories that we haven't had time to write about making memories...Yesterday my sisters and part of their families came. The picture at the top is one we take every year. The same pose only they get bigger and bigger, and now are almost too big for my bed! The second picture is of my sister, her husband, their son Joshua and Ashley and Adam (grandchildren). For all who don't have grandchildren, when you do, you'll know why they call them GRAND!!!!

Lots of cousins came and they swam and played and ate and ate and ate all day. Housekeeping has to go out the window when company comes to town!

Ashley and Adam get up in the morning and after breakfast get in the pool and are there for most of the day. Ashley reads a lot and is going through my bookcases scouring for books to read.

Last nite some of us gathered at our favorite Mexican restaurant for supper. My grandchildren are fluent in Spanish and Adam had fun ordering his food and his cousin's food in Spanish, but Ashley is "much too old" for that silliness. We are having a good time, a very good time!

Making Memories

Because I don't see my grandchildren very often, when they're here, we try to make happy memories to carry us all through until we meet again. Yesterday was my birthday and thanks to my friend and former mother in law, the grandkids came home with a present and card . Thanks Marilyn, you are indeed a good friend.

We had a nice dinner thanks to my precious husband. I picked up mama and my inlaws came, two sons, my nephew and his girlfriend. We had a really good time. I just wanted to put up some pictures, or memories as we like to call them.

Tomorrow my two sisters and a few of their family members are coming from Tallahassee and Pensacola to visit and see the children. We really excited about that! This is a somewhat a quieter trip than usual, just because I have such a big family and just didn't feel up to having all at once! We usually do that, but not this time....and we're enjoying them more and feeling much less stress! So simple!